Jerusalem to Haifa the long way
Day 4 – Monday, 3/14/05
So today really is Thursday 3/17 and I’m on a train to Be’ersheva. I don’t think many tourist use the train in Israel. It is really very comfortable and efficient. I think the line runs from Naharyaia north of Haifa to Be’ersheva in the south. They’ve added a line to the airport and they will add to that line all the way to Jerusalem.
Back to day 4...I got up early (new?) and walked by myself to the Kotel. Outside the hotel the security was heavy. There were lots of dignitaries coming in because of the dedication of the renovated Yad Vashem memorial museum. I had only a little time so I walked fast and got to the Wall in 20 minutes. In the early morning (before 7 a.m.) it is very quiet there.
I enjoy going there but, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t find any spiritual feeling coming over me as I look upon it. And yet…I had to go there before we left Jerusalem even if it meant getting up much too early…so the gravitational pull of the place (the rabbis called it the navel of the world) must have its hold on me. I only spent 20 minutes there but I did it for everyone who gets this email…now you know it is still there and in Israeli hands.
On the way back the security had increased if that is possible. I was stopped, had my passport checked ( I still look like the picture) and questioned. At one point I saw a pile of weapons on a street corner waiting for troops to hold them.
After breakfast we checked out and headed south to Emek HaElah. This is a national park which contains the tomb of Samson and his father. (Is Samson really in there? There was no souvenir stand nearby so maybe it’s the real thing.) We met with a group of FSU teens who were in Israel on the Na’ale program.
Jewish teens come to Israel for 3 years to study and, hopefully, decide to become citizens. If they do stay often their parents then join them. We spoke to the kids while we walked and studied the story of Samson. MetroWest funds the Jewish educational piece of the program for these kids.
Ellen Goldner with Na'ale youth
On the drive out of Jerusalem I got to see spring in Israel for the first time. This time of year there are fields of yellow where ever you go. There are also a wide variety of wild flowers blooming.
We then traveled to Merkaz Hertzog which is in the south somewhere near Ashqelon and Ashdod. The Merkaz (Center) is in an Orthodox kibbutz. We visited the Beit Midrasha Mabua study group.
It consists primarily of woman most of whom are involved in education, social work and similar fields. They give meaning to the term Pluralism as the group, while under Orthodox auspices, is broadly representative of the range of Orthodox and non-Orthodox approaches. The participants study for 8 hours per week. At the end of their program they engage in social action activities using their studies and discussion to help provide strategies.
We broke up into small groups to study Megillat (Book of) Esther with our task being to find the point at which fate becomes destiny (where events act upon Esther change to Esther, understanding her role, acts to influence events). We then entered discussion of when such turning points had occurred in our own lives. As a catalyst photographs were placed around the room and we selected two that represented fate and destiny. Each of us talked about the photos we chose. The program helped us to get a sense of the method the Mabua group used to use text for discovery and learning and how people with very different backgrounds can share experiences and come closer.
We retired to lunch which was prepared by the Mabua participants. I can state categorically that it was the best lunch of our stay.
Our delegation returned to the bus for the long drive to Haifa where we would stay the next two evenings. On the way we stopped at a Druse village for shopping. The store contained a mix of junk and treasures. Some of the weaving and ceramics were very nice.
Following check-in at the hotel we had dinner with a group of Israelis from the FSU who participate in a Beit Midrasha which is a joint project of Oren and Shdemot.
As a means to get to know each other we were led in an exercise to tell and discuss a story about one of our grandparents. It was not long before we learned that we all had similar histories and that important values had been passed down to us.
The evening concluded in the German Colony of Haifa. There our group found a café where we ordered drinks and some plates of cheese and humas.
A. Sandman, Party Animal
We unwound a little, telling stories and kidded each other…a natural process of coming together after the experiences we shared.
Bahai Gardens, Haifa
Gary A
So today really is Thursday 3/17 and I’m on a train to Be’ersheva. I don’t think many tourist use the train in Israel. It is really very comfortable and efficient. I think the line runs from Naharyaia north of Haifa to Be’ersheva in the south. They’ve added a line to the airport and they will add to that line all the way to Jerusalem.
Back to day 4...I got up early (new?) and walked by myself to the Kotel. Outside the hotel the security was heavy. There were lots of dignitaries coming in because of the dedication of the renovated Yad Vashem memorial museum. I had only a little time so I walked fast and got to the Wall in 20 minutes. In the early morning (before 7 a.m.) it is very quiet there.
I enjoy going there but, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t find any spiritual feeling coming over me as I look upon it. And yet…I had to go there before we left Jerusalem even if it meant getting up much too early…so the gravitational pull of the place (the rabbis called it the navel of the world) must have its hold on me. I only spent 20 minutes there but I did it for everyone who gets this email…now you know it is still there and in Israeli hands.
On the way back the security had increased if that is possible. I was stopped, had my passport checked ( I still look like the picture) and questioned. At one point I saw a pile of weapons on a street corner waiting for troops to hold them.
After breakfast we checked out and headed south to Emek HaElah. This is a national park which contains the tomb of Samson and his father. (Is Samson really in there? There was no souvenir stand nearby so maybe it’s the real thing.) We met with a group of FSU teens who were in Israel on the Na’ale program.
Jewish teens come to Israel for 3 years to study and, hopefully, decide to become citizens. If they do stay often their parents then join them. We spoke to the kids while we walked and studied the story of Samson. MetroWest funds the Jewish educational piece of the program for these kids.
Ellen Goldner with Na'ale youth
On the drive out of Jerusalem I got to see spring in Israel for the first time. This time of year there are fields of yellow where ever you go. There are also a wide variety of wild flowers blooming.
We then traveled to Merkaz Hertzog which is in the south somewhere near Ashqelon and Ashdod. The Merkaz (Center) is in an Orthodox kibbutz. We visited the Beit Midrasha Mabua study group.
It consists primarily of woman most of whom are involved in education, social work and similar fields. They give meaning to the term Pluralism as the group, while under Orthodox auspices, is broadly representative of the range of Orthodox and non-Orthodox approaches. The participants study for 8 hours per week. At the end of their program they engage in social action activities using their studies and discussion to help provide strategies.
We broke up into small groups to study Megillat (Book of) Esther with our task being to find the point at which fate becomes destiny (where events act upon Esther change to Esther, understanding her role, acts to influence events). We then entered discussion of when such turning points had occurred in our own lives. As a catalyst photographs were placed around the room and we selected two that represented fate and destiny. Each of us talked about the photos we chose. The program helped us to get a sense of the method the Mabua group used to use text for discovery and learning and how people with very different backgrounds can share experiences and come closer.
We retired to lunch which was prepared by the Mabua participants. I can state categorically that it was the best lunch of our stay.
Our delegation returned to the bus for the long drive to Haifa where we would stay the next two evenings. On the way we stopped at a Druse village for shopping. The store contained a mix of junk and treasures. Some of the weaving and ceramics were very nice.
Following check-in at the hotel we had dinner with a group of Israelis from the FSU who participate in a Beit Midrasha which is a joint project of Oren and Shdemot.
As a means to get to know each other we were led in an exercise to tell and discuss a story about one of our grandparents. It was not long before we learned that we all had similar histories and that important values had been passed down to us.
The evening concluded in the German Colony of Haifa. There our group found a café where we ordered drinks and some plates of cheese and humas.
A. Sandman, Party Animal
We unwound a little, telling stories and kidded each other…a natural process of coming together after the experiences we shared.
Bahai Gardens, Haifa
Gary A
posted by Gary A at 6:53 PM
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